Community› The Bump Message Boards› Natural Birth
Natural Birth
New Discussion

What I learned and would do differently

lylipadlylipad member
in Natural Birth

I hope that my experience can help those of you planning a natural birth in a hospital... I wanted one but that's not how it went :(

I will cut to the chase and tell you that you have to advocate for yourself and be willing to fight with the nurse or doctor who is caring for you. I was admitted when it was realized that my fluid had leaked to an unsafe level but was not yet in labor. I had tested positive for Strep -B  so I had to have an IV with antibiotic drip. After being in the hospital for hours my contractions finally started (they hadn't started pit yet). Let me just say that my nighttime nurse was a very nice person... but when I told her that I was having contractions she didn't beleive me because the monitor wasn't on right. It took 2 hours of adjusting to get the monitors on so both the baby and contractions were registering. At which point she checked my progress and I was at 2cm. Over the course of the next 1.5 hours the pain went from "oh hey that kinda hurts" to "holy FML!" I tried various positions which would help a little and then not so much. Eventually she let me take a shower but only for 20 minutes because she felt I needed to be monitored. By the time I got out of the shower I was crying in pain and the contractions were about 2 minutes apart. The nurse told me that I was still in early labor and that I should consider changing my mind and taking something for the pain because I would be in this much pain for at least 10 more hours! (it was nearly 4 am) I went another 30 minutes before I gave in and took Phentonal- which didn't help AT ALL- by 5 I was in so much pain that I didn't think I could take any more. She told me it was going to be a long day and that I should consider the epi. My DH and BFF were watching the "Richter" scale but I wasn't ( I was affraid that it would only be hitting 30/100 or something and make me feel like a wimp!) They kept telling me I was doing great and asking if I wanted to know how the contractions were measuring and I kept saying no. I ended up getting the epi, the nurse did not check me saying that it was too risky because it might introduce bacteria since my water was gone. When the doc placed the epi he told me to get some sleep because the baby wouldn't be coming until the afternoon (it was still 6 am). I was finally able to settle down and fell asleep around 7 am. The nurse came in to start the pitocin at 9 am and within minutes came back because the baby was in distress. She pulled up the cover and was shocked to find that I was ready to push!

6 months later I look back and see so many things that I will do differently next time. I will make them check me, especially if I am on an IV drip of antibiotics! I will see how my contractions are rating so that I can more accurately gauge how things are going. PS when I was in all of that pain, that I wanted the epi, my contractions were less than 2 minutes apat, triple peaking with a 15-30 second pain free gap, and rating in the low 90's out of 100... Just saying. IMO I was probably not in early labor at that point and if my nurse would have checked I may have chosen to stick to my plan. They also might have realized that I was ready to push before my DD went into distress!

I will go all natural next time. I do believe that I can do it. Don't let someone else make you doubt yourself!  

Report Reply to Post

Re: What I learned and would do differently

  • JcrabJcrab
    You definitely can do it! A doula might help as well. Personally, I used hypnobirthing to overcome the trauma from my Cesarian and help me cope with my VBAC. It helped me trust my body and ability go natural. It sounds like you have learned a lot, better luck next time!
    Report Reply
  • Loading the player...
  • RockyMtnMamaRockyMtnMama member

    Thanks for sharing. 

    I too had a hospital birth with my first, but I'm surprised that you don't mention your doctor or midwife talking to you about the progress.  It sounds like your labor/delivery nurse was dictating your care mostly - was that the case? 

    I had a very experienced CNM for my first hospital birth and she was very good about letting me know the options and how to make decisions instead of just telling me things or letting me figure them out on our own. 

     

    Two boys already - ages 5 and 3...

    ...baby #3 is here...

    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker

    Report Reply
  • 00jennifer0000jennifer00 member
    Minus the Strep B, your birth sounds sooooo very much like mine with my first.
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml
    Report Reply
  • oliversmommy32912oliversmommy32912 member

    Thank you for sharing your story. I'm sorry that you did not end up with the birth you wanted.

    I agree that a doula may help if you find yourself in that situation next time. I have a hard time advocating for myself as well and usually just go with the flow because I don't want to make anyone mad. When we were "shopping" for doulas I made sure I found someone who I could trust to put their foot down when I couldn't/wouldnt. Hopefully next time you will get the birth you are looking for. You can definitely do it!

     

    BabyFruit Ticker Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
    Report Reply
  • lylipadlylipad member

    "I too had a hospital birth with my first, but I'm surprised that you don't mention your doctor or midwife talking to you about the progress.  It sounds like your labor/delivery nurse was dictating your care mostly - was that the case?"

     

    The only time I saw a Doc or MF was when I was admitted and when I was pushing! The nurse I had was the only person who checked on me.

    Report Reply
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards
"
"